Recoil mount for guns



Nov. 12, 1929. s. G. GREEN REcoIL MOUNT FOR GUNS Filed April 21, 1927 7 a m/l 6 l! m/ HH, w a 1 HIIIHIIIIIIH|HHV -www IIIII 1-1m. 5 H

Samuel E- Green Patented Nov. 12, 1929 PATENT OFFICE SAMUEL G. GREEN, OF GRAY, GEORGIA RECOIL MOUNT FOR GUNS .Application led April 21,

1927. Serial No. 185,584.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT F MARCH 3, 1883, AS AMENDED APRIL 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) Y The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a recoil mount for guns.

The principal object of the invention 'is to Y provide a mount for rapid fire guns in which a recoiling cradle carrying the rigid frame of the gun is so arranged with respect to its support as to provide favorable operating conditions.

.ll/lith the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompany drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, with parts in section, of the improved mount;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation;

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively plan and side elevational views of the outer cradle;

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail sectional views on their respective lines of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown a bii'urcated'standardj and a cradle or supporting frame 6 which conform in design an 35 dimension to the corresponding units disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 61,613, filed October 9, 1925, and arranged to directly mount either a .30 or .50 caliber machine gun.

The standard is to be supported in the usual manner for 360 rotation in azimuth and in its upper extremity receives the trunnion's 7 whereby the cradle is mounted for movement in elevation.

The cradle consists of a .pair of plates 6' spaced at the rear 'by a bolt 8 and at the front by a block 9 formed with wide grooves 9a in its upper and lower faces.

Within the buter cradle 6 is placed a recoiling cradle 10 likewise consisting of spaced plates 1()n connected at vtheir forward end by a cross head 11 having a transverse recess l2 for straddling the narrow spacing block 9 on which it bears. The recoil cradle is additionally supported for -reciprocal movement with respect to the outer cradle by means of a pair of guide rods 13 extending through apertures in the cross head 11 and block 9 and by means 0f a rear bearing consisting of a bolt 14 carried by the .i outer cradle and inserted in slots 15 in the 60 rear of the cradle plates 10".

lnterposed between the blocks 9 and the inner walls of the cross head 12 are a number of springs mounted on the guide rods 13, the forward group of springs 16 serving to restrain the cradle 10 in recoil and being thus energized to restore it to battery against the action of the rear group buffer springs 17. Adjustment of the springs to suit varying loads is efected by means of the plugs 18 70 threaded in the cross head 11 and establishing seats for the forward group of s rings. A plate 19 may be attached to the un er side of the cross head to establish friction between the sliding members and by fitting in the grooved face of the block 9 prevents lateral displacement of the recoil cradle.

The recoil cradle is designed to mount a standard machine gun of either .30.or .50 caliber and to this end there are provided 8G the recoil cradle plates alined sets ofapertures 20, 21 and 22, the rst two serving to receive the attaching pins when mounting the d .30 caliber guns and the rst and last receiving the pins when mountingthe .50 caliber gun. One of the cradle plates is also provided with sets of apertures 23 whereby different sized brackets 24 which carry the ammunition boxes may be alternately attached. c

The particular arrangement of the various elements and the relationship they bear each other are designed to producea stable mount under all conditions of operation..

With these considerations in view the cradle trunions 7 are located on the center line 95 of the gun reaction transmitted to the outercradle in firing and in obtaining these conditions the forward attachment of the fguns to the recoiling cradle are situated in ront of the trunnions. H10

The point of application of the thrust of the recoiling cradle to the outer cradle is forwardly and below the cradle trunnions substantially in line with the center of gravity of the gun and cradle assembly and forms the shortest practical lever arm acting along the Center line of the recoiling cradle whereby it produces a tendency to elevate the rear end of the gun which tendency is offset by the natural inclination of the gunner to bear down on the stock of the gun.

The axis of the bearing surfaces of the recoiling cradle is inclined with respect to the 'line of application of thrust to the recoiling cradle, which line'is determined Vby the forward and rear attachments of the gun. The purpose of this inclination is to set up suflicient friction to compensate for gravitational forces influencing the recoilable cradle at the higher angles of elevation and to dampen the springs to prevent free rebound so that the gun is fully in battery before the next shot is fired. The friction component thus introduced during recoil of the cradle Will be absent during counter' recoil as the restoring force is exerted along the axis of the bearing.

l claim: A

1. A gun mount embodying a standard, an outer cradle trunnioned in the standard and including a pair of plates and a grooved spacing block forwardly of the trunnions, an inner cradle including spaced plates having means for mounting guns of diferent caliber, a cross head at the forward end of the inner cradle arranged to straddle and bear on the spacing block, guide rods in the cross head and space blocks, springs encircling the guide rods and seated on the cross head and spacingblock, means for adjusting the ten-v sion of the springs and a sliding connection between the rear ends of the inner and outer cradles.

2. A gunmount embodying a standard, an outer cradle trunnioned in the standard and including a pair of plates and a grooved spacing block forwardly of the trunnions, an inner cradle including spaced plates having means for mounting a gun, a cross head at the forward end of the inner cradle arranged to straddle and bear on the spacing block, guide rods in the cross head and spacing block, springs encircling the guide rods and seated on the cross head and spacing block and a sliding connection between the rear ends of the inner and outer cradles.

' for securing the cross head against vertical displacement with respect to the spacing block, springs seated on the cross head and spacing block and a sliding connection between the rear ends of the inner and outer cradles.

4. A gun cradle embodying a standard, an outer cradle trunnioned in the standard and including a pair of plates and a grooved spacing block forwardly of the trunnions, an inner cradle including spaced plates having means for mounting a gun, a cross head at the forward end of the inner cradle arranged to 'sliding connection between the rear ends of the inner and outer cradles.

6. In a gun mount, a support trunnioned for angular movement, a recoilable cradle having means for attachment of a` gun and bearing on the support, the axis of the bearing surfaces being inclined with respect to the line of application of thrust transmitted by the gun to the cradle.

SAMUEL G. GREEN. 

